1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear. The invention concerns, more particularly, a retainer located on an article of footwear for limiting superfluous lace movement.
2. Description of Background Art
Conventional articles of athletic footwear generally include two primary elements, an upper and a sole structure attached to the upper. The upper securely and comfortably receives a foot, and the sole structure attenuates ground reaction forces and absorbs energy as the footwear contacts the ground. Depending upon the particular style of an article of footwear, various materials may be utilized in manufacturing the upper. The upper of athletic footwear, for example, is generally formed from multiple layers of foam, leather, and textile materials that are stitched and adhesively bonded together. Dress shoe uppers may be formed exclusively of leather elements that are stitched together. Similarly, uppers for hiking boots may include a cushioned interior formed of foam and textiles, and a leather exterior that provides a high degree of durability and wear-resistance.
The upper generally forms a void on the interior of the footwear for receiving the foot, with access to the void being provided by an ankle opening. A lacing system is often incorporated into the upper to selectively increase the size of the ankle opening when placing the footwear upon the foot or removing the footwear from the foot. In addition to increasing the size of the ankle opening, the lacing system may also permit the wearer to modify-the-certain dimensions of the upper, particularly girth, to accommodate feet with varying dimensions.
A conventional lacing system is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,943 to Hudson et al. The upper includes a vamp area that defines a throat extending along an instep portion of the footwear. A plurality of apertures are formed adjacent to the throat, and a lace is threaded through the apertures and across the throat in a zigzag pattern such that ends of the lace extend from apertures located adjacent to the ankle opening. In addition, a tongue is positioned within the throat and under the laces to separate the laces from a foot received by the upper. Edges of the throat are pulled together by inducing tension in the laces, thereby decreasing the size of the upper and conforming the upper to the specific dimensions of the foot. The ends of the lace are then tied together in a manner that preserves a comfortable degree of tension in the laces.
Although a majority of footwear styles, particularly articles of athletic footwear, incorporate a conventional lacing system, many articles of footwear include modified lacing systems. For example, a dual lacing system may be utilized to provide separate adjustment for the vamp area adjacent the toes and the vamp area adjacent to the ankle opening, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,796 to Adams; U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,346 to Sasaki et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,613 to Dobbin; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,763 to Adams. Lacing systems may also be modified to include a mechanical fastener for the lace, thereby obviating the need to tie the lace with a conventional knot, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,373 to Maslow.